In ictu oculi

'in ictu oculi' is a Latin expression meaning in the blink of an eye. The usual source is 1 Corinthians 15:52: In momento, in ictu oculi, in novissima tuba:, translated in the KJV as "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump:".[1] where the Latin is itself a translation of the original Koine Greek phrase ἐν ῥιπῇ ὀφθαλμοῦ en rhipēi ophthalmou.[2] Though the phrase also occurs in other forms such as that used by Henry of Huntingdon, on the rapid submission to the coronation of Stephen of England in 1135: Sine mora, sine labore, quasi in ictu oculi.[3][4] and as part of the text to a motet Gaude celestis Domina by Antoine Busnois.

The most notable use of the phrase in an English text is that by John Donne: which shall be found alive upon the earth, we say there shall be a sudden death, and a sudden resurrection; In raptu, in transitu, in ictu oculi. where Donne gives an English-Latin paraphrase on the original context in 1 Corinthians 15.[5][6]

Works of Art

More than the original context of the phrase itself, the Latin is better known as the title of a painting by Juan de Valdés Leal (4 May 1622–1690). This painting, an allegory of death (c.1671) is one of two large still life[7] allegorical vanitas paintings, 2.2 metres high, by Valdés Leal painted for the Charity Hospital of Seville.[8] The central character is a skeleton, on the floor lies and open coffin and symbols of wealth and power.[9] The skeleton extinguishes a candle which represents life, and round the taper is written the Latin motto.[10][11] A volume of Rubens' designs for Antwerp's triumphal arches for the 1634 reception of the new Spanish governor, Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand, stands as a symbol of political disillusionment.[12] The other painting of the pair is Finis Gloriae Mundi, "End of worldly glory," which depicts a dead bishop and a knight.[13]

The painting is a reflection of the vanitas concept in Spanish music of the same period, as illustrated in In ictu oculi. Música española del siglo XVII, a recording by the Spanish early music ensemble Los Musicos de Su Alteza in 2002.[14]

The name has also been used for a painting by Diango Hernandez (born 1970) in 2004.

References

  1. ^ 1 Cor. 15:52, King James Version. Bible Gateway.
  2. ^ 1 Cor. 15:52, SBL Greek New Testament. Bible Gateway.
  3. ^ Hunt, Henrico, p. 256. Chronica magistri Rogeri de Houedene Roger (of Hoveden), William Stubbs - 1868 "Hoc vero signum malum f nit, quod tarn reponte omnis Anglia sine mora, sine labore, quasi in ictu oculi ei subjecta est."
  4. ^ L'Anjou de 1109 à 1151: Foulque de Jérusalem et Geoffroi Plantegenêt Josèphe Chartrou-Charbonnel - 1928 "Henri de Huntingdon ..indique que l'Angleterre se soumit très rapidement « sine mora, sine labore , quasi in ictu oculi »."
  5. ^ Potter G. R., The Sermons of John Donne, Volume 2‎ 1984 Page 73
  6. ^ The Works of John Donne: With a memoir of his life‎ 1839, p. 336.
  7. ^ Ann Sutherland Harris Seventeenth-century art & architecture 2005 -p240 "Valdes Leal's canvases are still-lives but on such a large scale — more than 7 feet high (2.2 meters) — that they transcend that genre to become religious paintings. The skeleton in one canvas - In Ictu Oculi - is the sole actor amid ..."
  8. ^ Encyclopedia of painting Shirley D. Myers, Bernard Samuel Myers - 1979 "Contrary to this, of course, is the tighter technique of the allegories, Finis Gloriae Mundi and In Ictu Oculi, painted for the Charity Hospital of Seville, where Murillo (see) was also at work. These pictorial horrors exemplify the ..."
  9. ^ Schools and mastes of painting Alida Graveraet Radcliffe - 1912 "Round the flame of the taper are the words, ' In ictu oculi.' On the floor is an open coffin, "
  10. ^ A record of Spanish painting Catherine Gasquoine Hartley - 1904 "Circling the gleaming light of the taper are the words "In Ictu Oculi," while an open coffin rests upon the ground,
  11. ^ Mary Elizabeth Perry Gender and disorder in early modern Seville - 1990 -p164 "In Ictu Oculi (fig. 16), by the same artist, presents death as a skeleton standing over symbols of wealth and power and extinguishing a candle that symbolizes life."
  12. ^ Fernando González de León The road to Rocroi: class, culture and command in the Spanish Army 2009 p345 "... chilling canvas In Ictu Oculi (1671) in which a volume of Rubens' designs for the Cardinal-Infante's triumphal arches stands as a symbol of political disillusionment, "
  13. ^ Andy Symington Andalucía 2004 p79 "The inscription In Ictu Oculi translates as 'in the blink of an eye'. Opposite this is an even more challenging painting entitled Finis Gloriae Mundi ('the end of wordly glory'). It depicts a crypt in which a dead bishop and knight are ...
  14. ^ Website of group Los Mvsicos de Sv Alteza in Spanish